Safety-closure.



STATES PATENT orare.

MASON MANGHUM, OF PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 CHARLES SCOTT, 0F PORTLAND, QREGON.

SAFETY-CLOSURE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MAsoN MANGHUM, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Closures, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safety closures for volatile containers. v

The primary object of this invention is to provide a device which will simultaneously liberate and frictionally ignite gas under excessive pressure.

Another obj ect of the invention is to provide a cap which carries an ignitible element entirely separate and independent of the plug in which it is seated.

A further object contemplated by my invention is the provision of a cap, which by reason of its extreme simplicity, may be manufactured at a minimum cost.

To the accomplishment of therecited objects and others cordinate therewith, the preferred embodiment of my invention resides in that construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and embraced within the scope of the appended claim.

In said drawings z-Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of a container illustrating the application of the safety closure.

l Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of the cap removed, and Figs. 4c and 5 are similar views of a modified form of the cap.

Generally speaking, my invention involves the employment of a hollow detachable plug coperating with a cap provided with an annular groove or channel and a communicating inlet for the purpose of filling the said channel with any suitable ignitible mixture. The cap is designed to be inserted and frictionally held within the bore of the plug so that abnormal pressure of the gas in the tank will constrain or blow the cap outwardly, and due to the resultant friction of the admixture in the channel and the walls of the bore of the plug, the same will become ignited, and this in turn will manifestly cause the escaping gasto burn, rather than flow freely into the room where the tank is located and thereby make it extremely dangerous to life and property owing to the highly inflammable characteristics of the gas. Adjuncts, in the nature of gauze elements, are also utilized for the purpose of eliminating back pressure.

Referring morel particularly to the drawings for a Adetail description of my invention, the numeral 1 designates a container or tank, provided at its top with a collar 2 having an inner screw threaded shoulder portion 3 for the reception of the correspondingly screw threaded rabbetedl extremity 4; of a plug, as 5. l This plug is hollow,l and is equipped with a circular shoulder 6 for the purpose of sustaining a cap, as 7 which as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings,

comprises a cylindrical devicer open at thev top and having a bottom 8, with an annular channel 9 at its lower extremity and an inlet 10 communicating with said channel and the interior of the cap. The top of the cap 7 rests flush with the top of theplug, and as previously stated, the marginal edge of the bottom lies upon the internal shoulder 6, the

Patented Maru?, 1916.

diameter of the cap being such as to frictionally engage the walls of the plug.

A modified form of cap is disclosed in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, and consists of a cylindrical shaped element closed at its top and bottom, and having a similar channel 9 at its lower extremity and a vertically arranged channelv 11 projecting from the rst mentioned channel to the top lof the cap, the same being used for filling the channel 9. This cap has the same relative proportions as the first mentioned cap, and is adapted to occupy the same position with respect to they plug 5.

To preclude any possibility of back-firing a gauze disk 12 is suitably arranged at the base of plug 5 to span the opening, and a similar device 13 fashioned in the form of a tube is attached to the depending flange 14 of the collar 2 and projects interiorly of the container.

In use, the channel 9 of the cap is filled with any suitable Vignitible mixture, and then inserted in the plug 5 to occupy the position exhibited in Fig. 1. As soon as the pressure of the gas in the tank becomes excessive it will blow the cap 7 from the plug 5, and the friction of the ignitible material against the inner wall of the said plug will ignite the said material and in turn cause the escaping gas to burn. This consumption of the gas in this manner absolutely inhibits the unrestricted efflux of the vapor and its consequent mixing with the atmosphere in the vicinity of the container to form highly eXplosive and dangerous compounds.

By reason of the fact that the cap ,5 carries the ignitible material, there will be no difficulty encountered in the way of cleaning the plug, as is the case where the ignitible element is virtually a part of the plug. Furthermore, my invention obviates the use of specially designed and constructed plugs, which have to be machined and accordingly entail considerable expense. The channel and the inlet thereto are component parts of the cap, and the unification of these features makes it possible to stamp out or otherwise form the entire device in practically one operation.

It should be understood that in its broader aspect the invention comprehends the employment not only of the various means described, but vof equivalent means for performing the recited functions.

While the arrangement shown is thought at the present time to be preferable, it is desired to reserve the right to eifect such modifications and variations thereof as may come fairly within the scope of the appended claim.

lVhat I claim is In a safety closure for containers, the combination of a hollow plug having imperforate walls, a cap mounted within said plug and provided with an annular channel at its base, and an ignitible substance contained in said channel between the same and the inner wall of the said plug, whereby upon excessive pressure of gas in said container the plug will be forced outwardly and simultaneously said ignitible substance moving bodily with the cap will be subjected to continuous friction with respect to said walls during its passage from the plug.

ln witness whereof, I hereunto afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MASON MANGHUM.

Witnesses:

BLANCHE CLovER, LEON MANGHUM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for nve cents each, by .addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

